Story:Kings of Strife/Part 51
Part Fifty-One When the sky fell on Morshia and wiped away the city’s life, all of the soldiers outside of the city joined Vainia’s army purely out of fear. Within that hour, the young queen’s ground forces grew by thousands, but the vicious northern Inusian winter spent the next day trying hard to lessen that number once again. She had bid her entire army march, ceaselessly, and they went around the ruined city. Though going north of Morshia instead of through it added a few extra hours to the time her army spent on the move, Vainia knew that not subjecting all of her men to the horrors undoubtedly awaiting in the skeleton of the metropolis preserved morale and prevented disgusted uprisings. She had remembered the horrors that stood in Phenicks when it was crushed by a similar act of pseudo-divine power. Besides all of that, the extra hours of the extended march gave her more time to rest. The effects of the massively powerful spell she performed were very concerning. Immense pain and strong migraines tore through Vainia’s body, and once she felt the full brunt of the magical power leave her body, she became blind for a short amount of time. Only Asearya had seen this, as she walked far ahead of the main army at Vainia’s side, which was still some distance behind the main vanguard. The blindness had been surprising, terrifying, and even painful. For a time, Vainia even cried tears of blood from her temporarily useless eyes. When she regained her vision after about an hour of blindness, Vainia was met with freshly fallen snow, a newfound appreciation for the colors of the world, and a fear of her own abilities. “You, too, will be blind,” echoed the croaking voice of her deceased grandmother, the Savage Queen prophesizing to her heir even after her death. “Embrace it.” ‘Just how much did Grandmother know?’ Vainia wondered as she walked hand in hand with Asearya, who wore a sharp yet modest outfit of black leather that contrasted with the white snow and her gray hair. Vainia’s grandmother, though she was blind and ridden to isolation within her own chambers, had known of Vainia’s possession of the Crystals as well as the fact that she could use rune spells. She had even advised Vainia to memorize her incantations for greater power, something Vainia had taken to heart and endeavored to do over the two months she was within her own self-isolation. It was possible, then, that old Nolterya had known that the more powerful spells Vainia performed would be harmful to her eyesight. ‘I still have so many questions…’ Not for the first time, Vainia’s heart stung with pain and remorse as she mourned her lost family. ‘No. I have no right to mourn. I am the queen of ashes and corpses, and this is my war to prove it.’ A queen did not mourn over the deaths on her path to annunciation, much like how a beast did not mourn the weaker animals it ate in order to survive and prosper. The blindness did not happen until all of the magic power had faded from her body, so about an hour after her vision had returned, Vainia decided to keep the runic magic around her body at all times. If she got used to the power, enough so that summoning a small amount did not drain her at all, the constant aura would be enough to stave off the blindness. ‘I will embrace the blindness with more power, just as you advised, grandmother.’ Asearya did not notice for hours, and when she did, she stared right into Vainia’s face and trembled. “Your eyes, my lady,” she had said with fear. “They’re glowing – and they’re gold.” Vainia was quieted by this, but assumed this was a side effect of the rune essence being summoned around her, not unlike the glow of light around her fingers when she was tracing rune symbols. “So be it,” she had said simply, and only kept walking through the snow. The army trudged behind her, slower than she would have liked. At this rate, they had a few more days before they reached King’s Town, the next destination in her campaign of war. Though she had the two parties separated, the Inusian army in front of her main Shorican force and behind her officers and vanguard, there was still unrest and loud noise coming from the army. She had the Inusians leave behind their bluecoats and toss them into the sea as they left behind Morshia on the horizon, and had no doubts that they would all follow her orders out of fear, but she had no confidence that they would mesh comfortably with the Shorican forces, nor did she think they would really fight reliably when her army arrived at King’s Town. ‘That is alright. They will serve as fine front-line soldiers to soak up attacks.’ Surprisingly, the army met very little Inusian air resistance from any direction. There was no doubt that the Inusians were moving the World Government forces they had in order to reinforce their own army, and though there had not been a war in years around the entire world, she knew that Inusia had a fleet of airships ready to be used against her. So where were they? Why was her army being allowed to march across the northern Inusian coast without any resistance? There were a few options Vainia came up with as answers. Considering the Morshian defenses had assimilated into her army, the Inusians could be holding back their aggression in order to save the lives of their own men – but that was unlikely. ‘This is the nation that destroyed its own most prominent academy in an attempt to assassinate me,’ Vainia remembered. There was not an issue of there not being enough ships – she knew that for sure, from instinct and her own limited reconnaissance of Inusia’s forces she had performed during her years at Zeta. So, then, the Inusians could be saving their aggression in order to keep her invasion a secret… or they could be focusing elsewhere. Inusia held absolute dominion over the government of every nation, and manipulated the world’s media without any opposition, so of course they would have no qualms reaching into Shorica and wiping it clean while most of Vainia’s forces were rending Inusia’s northern coast. That would do just fine. ‘My Eternal Corps will not fail, and Inusia’s lack of focus – such hubris – will only result in their own downfall.’ For the most part, everything was going according to her plans. The only things that stood in her way were the elements dragging down her army and sapping their strength, and her own Barons. ‘One of them will betray me,’ she knew. ‘Perhaps all of them.’ Vainia’s focus snapped away from the convoluted plans constantly swirling around in her head as Asearya paused, the maid’s sudden motion bringing Vainia to a stop as well. Night had fallen a good amount of time ago, without Vainia’s notice, and now that she and her maid stood atop a snow-capped hill, they could see both the vanguard encamped ahead and the ground forces behind making up the rear, very slowly. All around the two were almost faded footsteps from the vanguard moving a good distance ahead of them. “We are stopping too much,” the young queen said with a frown as she crossed her arms. Both her hands now free, Asearya adjusted Vainia’s cape and took hold of the queen’s rapier from her waist, lessening the burden on her master. Vainia continued to complain. “I mean to drive them onward, until we are at King’s Town, even if it means they do not rest. Time slips away uncontained.” “The effort will kill them before the Inusians get a chance to, my lady. Time slips away, but is an obstacle that can be overcame.” ‘No,’ Vainia thought to herself with a frown. ‘Time is the only thing I cannot conquer.’ Asearya continued, the taller woman walking demurely a step behind Vainia as they both descended from the white hill. “This winter is especially cold, though, my lady. Even in Mortis, its effects were chilling. It is not safe to drive the army too far in such conditions.” The maid was right, Vainia knew, but she was reluctant to accept it. The queen, in her youth, had read of many a military campaign that failed due to overexposure in the savage northern Inusia winters. “Casualties are of no matter to me. Not anymore. Even if every soldier beneath me perishes, as long as I stand on the throne in the name of Mortis, I will have succeeded.” Asearya nodded, her straight silver hair bobbing along with her. “Perhaps, Lady Vainia. That much is true – but I cannot defend you from every foe by myself. Though I am unparalleled, some others are needed.” Vainia looked to her friend with a rare smile. “Nonsense. I don’t know of a single mortal who is better suited to guarding me.” Not for the first time, Vainia’s thoughts wandered to Gin Taoris – her Knight – who was missing for months. She had thought he would meet up with her at the border he was guarding when she invaded Inusia, but he was not found anywhere; only ruins of structures, and bodies. Corpses lay all about the Shorican borders, so Vainia knew Taoris (or rather, Constantus Veit) was there… Lost in thought once again, Vainia sighed and blinked, her eyes somewhat irritated by the power beneath them. It would take a while before she got used to them, most likely. Her vision blurred for a little while, but it was clear enough to see that the vanguard was still at least two miles away, encamped near the cliffs of the northern coast. The queen and her personal maid walked close to the forests that lay to the south, using the darkness to keep them cool and hidden in darkness. There was no need to travel with less protection than was necessary, especially when the vanguard were likely removing their armor and starting to relax within their camp. Both Vainia and Asearya began to engage in simple, fun small talk in order to keep their journey light in mood now that the queen had been pulled from her reverie for a moment. The effortless conversation was a welcome yet brief respite for both parties, one occupied by servitude to her loving master and one occupied by the details of empyreal dominion. As quickly and naturally as it started, the respite ended. Asearya slowed her steps and narrowed her gray eyes, searching throughout the air with a focused face. Vainia noticed her servant’s concentration and stopped walking; Asearya mimicked her sedentary stance immediately. “Are we compromised?” Vainia asked without a hint of fear. Between Asearya and herself, she had absolute confidence in her safety, but not enough that she became complacent – and thus weak. “I believe so, but this is no mere assassin.” Asearya slowly lowered her sense of gravity and pulled out two long, thin knives from the back of her bra. With her other hand, she handed back to Vainia her sheathed rapier. “Rather, these are not simple assassins.” “Multiple enemies?” This was enough to give Vainia pause, and she looked around with her golden eyes. The vanguard was still too far off to see the two of them, especially when they were so close to the dark forest; even if a vanguard scout could see the two attacked, any relevant rescue would come too late. Likewise, Vainia’s army moved behind her, and at such a pace that it would never reach the two of them in time. Still, Vainia was not afraid. She had plenty of power within her body, and along with Asearya’s prodigious strength, she felt entirely justified to be moving on her own. The queen started to gather energy within her fingers before she paused, eyebrows knit with confusion. “The enemies are likely going to emerge from the forest, but how many are there?” She could not summon any sort of useful spell if she knew not what enemy awaited her, or what strategies they would use. “I cannot tell,” Asearya said, her face just as confused. She had pulled forth a full arsenal of eight knives, four gripped in each hand, and she stood with bent knees and lowered shoulders, completely battle ready. Try as they might, though, the two could do nothing but feel a general aura of bloodlust – no bodies or specific weapons could be identified. The two stood in ready silence for a long moment before movement suddenly exploded from the forest in front of them. Like a massive army of barely-controlled puppets, a group of Inusian bluecoats rushed out at Vainia and Asearya with inhuman speed. There were at least 20 men, all rushing at her with glowing golden eyes, shortswords in hand, and a startling lack of coordination. They tripped over themselves and their free arms flew about behind them as if they were not bothering to control their own flesh. Asearya moved first, stepping in front of Vainia immediately and throwing four of her knives into the faces of the closest bluecoats. Two were struck in their eyes and fell; another had the knife impale in his neck, but kept moving without even a grimace. The final one was hit in the forehead, right between the eyes, and stumbled as if losing control of the limp body he had. None of them screamed. Vainia’s guard was taken by surprise at the odd endurance of the Inusians, and paused, her guard lowered. The queen took this moment in stride, and with dancing fingers she traced the symbol of an offensive rune incantation in the air. Once she had the performed the spell, a large circle of lost pink symbols and circles appeared in front of the two on the ground. The circle appeared with unprecedented speed and was much larger than Vainia anticipated. ‘Could it be my eyes?’ she wondered, quickly, before discarding the idle thought with her focus. Even though the circle appeared in front of them almost instantly, the bluecoats did not even respond to the rune. They ran, disheveled steps bringing them ever closer to the two Mortisians, and a multitude of at least eight soldiers stepped on the territory of the rune spell. Immediately the entire circle lit up with light red fluorescence, and a massive amount of red-hued swords made of tiny runes burst up from the ground. The blades impaled the soldiers who had stepped on the circle, staining the snow with explosive bursts of blood and halting them all in their tracks. Still, not a single cry of pain erupted from any of the injured soldiers. Without even a moment to look around in fear, the unaffected bluecoats continued to shuffle towards the queen and her maid. Vainia stepped backwards, handing her rapier back to Asearya as the thin girl threw her last handy knives at a couple of oncoming Inusians. This time Asearya aimed for their eyes, and all of the victims fell upon being hit, all instantly lifeless upon impact. “Here, you hold them off!” Vainia cried. Asearya grabbed onto the rapier with a nod, unsheathing it and tossing the heavy blade protector onto the snow. “I will be close, my lady!” she breathed, before dashing forward and impaling an Inusian in the face. Like the others who had been stabbed or impaled, the bluecoat went limp as soon as the blade made contact with their brain. ‘What is this?’ Vainia wondered in between spells, her thoughts becoming increasingly frantic. Though her spells – purposely made smaller and less effective so as to not injure Asearya, who flew through the snow stabbing the bluecoats with practiced grace – were wiping out multitudes of Inusian soldiers, a veritable army rushed out from the forests, their numbers appearing almost inexhaustible. She finished the touchings of one spell and instantly started chanting another, even as ethereal light stained the snow and was soon covered by blood. Something caught her eye, something that brought alarm and pause to the young queen. One of the soldiers ripped apart by her last spell was not a bluecoat; they wore an all-tan uniform, accentuated by dark body armor. Two more khaki-uniformed men rushed out from the abyss of the forest, body parts flailing about and hands holding shattered blades. ‘Those are my men,’ she realized. ‘All of these are my men – they are all in my army.’ How were they attacking her, and why? Vainia’s lapse in concentration had left her open to attack, and Asearya noticed. After stabbing open an Inusian’s neck, she bounded backwards in order to return to Vainia’s side. The move was awkward and forced, and as she moved, Asearya was sliced on the back with a slashing sword from one of the Inusian marionettes. The snow-colored maid cried out, but still landed at Vainia’s side and impaled a would-be assassin right in their left eye. Bone and blood shattered from the righteous thrust, and the Shorican soldier collapsed to the ground. “Asearya, no!” Vainia let her focus fall once again when she noticed her best friend was hurt. She put her arms around the maid’s shoulders, stabilizing her faltering stance. “You’re hurt!” “I’ll be fine, Lady Vainia! Please, stay back!” Asearya held a hand behind her, forcing Vainia to move, and slashed out the eyes of an oncoming Inusian with a swift horizontal swipe. “We just have to hold on until the vanguard notices us!” ‘That may already be too late,’ Vainia realized with a lurching stomach. Her lapse in concentration and Asearya’s injury had injured the efficient defense of the two, and while they had slowed down, the silent and traitorous army had only sped up their multiplication. The soldiers physically moved slower now, but they advanced nonetheless with deadpan faced and raised swords. The two were surrounded. Vainia struggled to think of a spell to save her and Asearya, but the only thing that came to mind was her trusty chain spell. Though she did not even mouth it, simply thinking of the spell summoned a sleeve of chains to wrap around Vainia’s left arm – but that was useless here. She backed up futilely as Asearya bravely fenced off the stampede of enemies. ‘Why can’t I focus?’ Vainia frowned, and her eyes kept darting over the bleeding gash on Asearya’s back and the red flesh around it. ‘Where is my power when I need it?’ Though Asearya fought bravely and unceasingly, she was only one warrior against a crowd of unyielding enemies. They advanced, and advanced, and in an instant of blood Vainia knew that she and Asearya were doomed. ‘Cut to pieces by my own army,’ the queen thought. She toyed with the idea. ‘What an ironic way to go.’ Two silver slashes cut through the air in front of the two, with such explosive force that even Asearya paused in awe. Next a shower of red rained down from the air, along with a number of blue and tan-covered body parts flying through the air, haphazardly. The sound of grating metal on non-resisting flesh burst through the still air and blood continued to rain, its abundance obscuring vision. The brutal exchange lasted for three seconds at most, punctuated by countless silver slashes, but to the two observers the moment of awe appeared to last for incredible minutes. When the shower of red finally ceased and every bluecoat and khaki soldier lay at the ground, haplessly torn to pieces, a single huge figure in red stood with his back to both Vainia and Asearya. Two massive bloody swords rested in his hands, their tips pointed and dripping onto the ground. None of them said anything – rather, the only one that spoke in the immediate area was a corpse, his upper half bisected and tossed face-up onto the ground. “Let this be a lesson of your own limits,” the Inusian said, his golden eyes staring straight up at the night sky. “The way to surpass them lies in Castle Kornelia. Go with haste and find your third Crystal before it is stolen from you, rune child.” So spoke the disconnected corpse, before Gin Taoris crushed its head with his armored boot. ***** “I have to go,” the queen said, her eyes staring straight ahead, into wood. “Absolutely not,” her Knight growled. A small council of the queen’s closest advisors all stood in her tent, reverent and attentive to their matriarch. The council consisted of her Revolutionary Barons – Kamanus Casvaal, Tasshon el Divrus, and Martessa di Sabine – as well as Knight Constantus Veit, and two high-ranking officers of the army. Asearya was absent; she was receiving medical attention. Not even an hour had passed since the assassination attempt. Vainia sat in the only chair behind her small wooden table, and crumpled up on the side of the desk rested a detailed map of Inusia. “It’s just not very smart,” whispered the Baron of Intelligence. “My spies heard nothing of another Crystal being held in Kornelia. In fact, most of them have been silent… compromised.” He looked up to Vainia with a determined, thoughtful frown. “This whole thing stinks of a trap.” “Going there now isn’t a very strategic move, either.” Tasshon el Divrus of War stood next to Vainia’s Knight, the only member of the council whose back was turned to the queen. “Morshia was won because of you and you alone, my lady. The entire army works because of your charisma and power. To abandon them in their first actual siege… it could be disastrous.” “But Castle Kornelia was my original goal to begin with!” Vainia held her hands over her head and groaned. “I was going to seize the city and the throne, and Inusian power would collapse. As long as I could hold the castle, the nation and the world would be mine. What do I care of King’s Town? No king has stayed within that façade of a city for hundreds of years!” The council was silent for a moment in response. The first to speak again was Tasshon, and only with reluctance. “We just don’t have enough information, and this isn’t a situation to be improvising, my lady.” “Everything I’ve achieved so far has been built upon improvising. Everything.” Vainia looked up, and from the angle of her desk to the others standing, she looked immensely tired for a moment. The bags beneath her eyes only highlighted the unnatural golden glow that burned from within them, something that no one in the council had commented on yet. “What if we separated, my lady?” The man who spoke was an officer of the army, the only Shorican man to represent his forces. He was one of the men standing beside Vainia when she destroyed Morshia, but she still did not recall his name. The round man crossed his arms and frowned in thought. “We lead the siege of King’s Town, you and a concentrated group of forces head to Kornelia and seize the throne. A division of forces would lessen the burden on both.” “That was my original idea, fool.” Vainia frowned and held her head in her hands again. “If you’re going to speak, make sure you say something relevant, sir… sir…” Tasshon sighed. “Colonel Harper.” “Of course. Thank you, Baron Divrus.” Kamanus spoke up as the Shorican officer sighed loudly. “There is no reason for you to trust some weird corpse, Lady Vainia, especially if it’s telling you to march into enemy territory by yourself. This is your most ridiculous idea yet.” “Staying here and fighting King’s Town head on would be more ridiculous. What if this was an Inusian trap, to persuade me not to take the obvious bait? What if there is an ambush awaiting me in King’s Town?” “Ugh! What if there isn’t even a Crystal there?” “But what if there is? I can’t risk Inusia taking hold of such power. I need that power, or we don’t stand a chance at toppling this nation. The Crystals are the keys to all of this.” “You’re relying on those for your strength?” growled Veit as he finally turned around to face the queen. He wore a particularly vicious frown on his strong jaw, and his forehead was pulled taut from his harsh, glaring eyebrows. “That’s not the Vainia I know. That’s not the queen I pledged my life to.” Vainia looked up to her Knight with contemplation, but her thoughtful look eventually melted to rage. “What would you know, considering you left my side for months to immerse in your perverse savageries?” “I went to protect your kingdom, as I am duty-bound to do. Even in your absence. You would question my loyalty?” “You would question my power?!” Vainia stood, her small hands slamming hard on her desk and silencing everyone. The council members looked around at each other, all afraid to meet Vainia’s seething eyes. “I have only ever gotten stronger. In my veins run the blood of kings and queens that will not be silenced even after millennia of subjugation. I have seen poverty and suffering in the same world as vanities and waste. I have carved my name into this world with nothing but my bare hands and my willpower! I have held your heart in my hands, and you would question my strength, when I am the strongest women in the world?! I am the empire! I am eternal! How dare you question me?!” The tent was silent. After a moment of seething, Vainia closed her eyes and sank back into her seat. “I’m sorry. I… You’re right. I’ve become blind. This is about more than me… this is about the world.” She let out a deep exhale. “We will make it to Kornelia, but only after crushing King’s Town. And only if Inusia takes hold of the Crystal, I will take it from them myself. Thank you all.” With her dismissal and a moment of stunned silence, the council tent emptied out, until only Veit stood in the dark enclosure still. He looked down at Vainia with a shadowed countenance and sighed. “I should have returned sooner. I didn’t think things would get this bad. Don’t suffer in silence, my queen. Please.” “I am fine,” Vainia said, shaking. “We have come too far for me to fail here. Eternity awaits.” “You know… I had a lot of time to think when I was guarding the border,” Veit whispered. He took a step towards Vainia’s desk gingerly, with a probing hand starting to stretch towards the fragile girl. “Maybe some things are eternal, and maybe others… aren’t.” “What are you saying, sir?” Veit pulled his hand back and turned, rethinking and biting his thin lip. “Perhaps… now is not the time.” “You’ll protect me, won’t you?” Vainia had not moved, but even with a hidden face, she radiated vulnerability. Her voice trembled. “Forever. You swore it. Right?” Veit’s fingers curled into fists. He turned around, silently, and left the tent. ***** Vik awoke to the smell of smoke, and he could feel someone pulling him. His head pulsed with pain and his ears rang, and the stench of smoke would not abscond from his senses. ‘God damn it,’ he thought to himself as his limp body moved without his command. ‘I’m getting tired of waking up in the middle of disasters.’ His senses returned to him all at once, and he jolted back into consciousness. Dark gray smoke hung in clouds over his vision, and with a groan the Nneonian pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Oh thank the eight heavens you’re okay!” The voice of a familiar woman called from behind Vik, and he turned with squinting eyes. “Karilyn? What happened?” Vik moaned and rubbed his throbbing scar. “Are we being attacked?” “We were,” she scoffed. “You were in and out of sleep, I was helping you out, and those two blond weirdos were piloting, and the next thing I knew, the whole ship was up in flames. Luckily I wasn’t hurt…” Vik could see that the redhead had shed her olive green cloak, and wore a simple black dress with a fur-collared mantle. Her clothes were a little charred and her face was covered in ash, but besides being a little shaken up she did seem unharmed. After looking her over, Vik laid a large hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay, Karilyn. Have you seen either of the Cidolas’?” Even beneath the ash coating her cheeks, Karilyn’s face conspicuously reddened. She pulled her dark mantle around her shoulders more and shook her head. “No. I was more concerned about you, Scarface.” “I’m fine, as well. Come on.” Vik stood, the wound on his chest causing him to stand gingerly. It stung, but the laceration was not very deep, and it did not hinder his movement all that much. “We have to keep moving.” “You’re going to look for Cidolas?” Karilyn stood, dusting off her legs and face. Vik coughed and waved away a cloud of smoke from his face. “Of course. I’m not leaving them behind. And since we’re all unharmed, we can get going towards Shorekeep, too. We can’t let this stop us.” The two of them found Cidolas quickly, beneath a mass of twisted metal painted navy Inusian blue, but only the male body had escaped destruction. They found him standing straight up, eyes downcast and unbothered by the soft mist of black smoke. He was looking down at the crumpled arm that reached out from beneath the airship debris, on top of a small ocean of blood. Somehow, though he was as emotionless as ever, Cidolas seemed – sad. Vik and Karilyn walked up next to him, unable to speak or touch the blond man. They did not look at the female Cidolas’ broken remnants of a corpse; they glanced at each other, then at Cidolas’ stone face, then back at each other, words stolen and movements on a jerking repeat. All at once, Cidolas spoke, his eyes narrowed and head bowed, as if in reverence. “We grow less than infinite. Soon, we will be only one. And then…” Karilyn stopped him from speaking any more, for she pulled him into an embrace and covered him with the rags of her olive cloak that she had discarded. “You’re not alone,” she said, patting at Cidolas’ matted hair. The guardian did not move, nor did he resist the hug. “None of us are. Not anymore. We’re all in this together now, and we won’t ever let you die. I promise.” “But we are destined to sacrifice ourselves for those chosen by the Crystals,” Cidolas stammered, quickly, as if reminding himself of something that he was on the cusp of forgetting. “The last of the seven created us from dust, and to dust we will return once the Crystals have reached their ultimate purpose.” “No.” Karilyn answered, powerfully. “You are more than a sacrifice. You saved all of our lives countless times, so even if you are weird and you don’t get how pronouns work, you’re a part of our team. Got that?” She backed away, keeping one hand on Cidolas’ shoulder as she pushed back some of her wavy mane of hair. Cidolas looked her in her eyes and blinked before nodding. “We… We will live. For the team.” Karilyn smiled and wrapped her ragged cloak around Cidolas’ neck. The blond had shed his own cloak when he started to pilot the airship with his twin, and now he wore a simple yet sleek outfit of black with the green cloak around him, like a cape. The guardian looked down at them and gave the slightest hint of a satisfied smile before turning and moving away with his quick stride. The mourning, apparently, was over. Vik followed Cidolas and Karilyn, speechless. Him and the redhead stayed behind Cidolas as they moved west, and before long the ashes and debris faded from the ground and snow retook the land beneath their feet. It was still the middle of the night, though the airship had taken the group a good distance westward before it had fallen to unknown attackers. Shorekeep was only a day or two away on foot. “You’re good at that,” Vik muttered after a few minutes of awkward silence. Karilyn looked at him with a furrowed brow, the events near the airship apparently lost to her already. “Cheering people up, I mean. It worked for me earlier, and now even for Cidolas – the eight heavens know I’ve tried to do that, but it never worked. I’m impressed.” The redhead shrugged. “What can I say, Scarface? I have a way of reminding men of their guts. It’s a necessary evil if you want to run a bar. A good one, anyways.” “Oh? You’re a bartender…?” Vik glanced down at the massive sword Karilyn dragged behind her. “What kind of customers required that?” She gave a cute little chuckle and covered her smile. “This old artifact comes from before my bartending days.” Karilyn sighed nostalgically and pushed back her unruly hair again. “I worked with the Inusians for a while, in weapons engineering. But… that life wasn’t for me, so I thought I’d find some peace in my family’s bar business.” She shrugged again. “As you can tell, not much peace there, either. Not when a certain fugitive showed up on my doorstep.” “So that’s what happened… Silverius must have ended up there, after Vainia took over Shorekeep.” Vik frowned in thought. “I can’t imagine what drove you to go from a bar to an Inusian lab, let alone back to a bar.” “What about you, Scarface?” With a raised eyebrow, Karilyn looked up to Vik. “What’s your story?” The Nneonian let a moment of silence exist before he spoke, though even that was ruined by the crunching of boots and flats on muddy snow. “Much of the same, I guess. Right out of school, I joined the army because my father wanted me to. It wasn’t something I hated, really… if anything, it’s all I know. I don’t know what I’ll do after this is all over, if I make it through it all. Everything has changed for me.” “Hey, didn’t you hear what I told Blondie? We’re all making it through this!” Karilyn playfully punched Vik’s shoulder before lowering her hand and squeezing his large arm. “I knew you had to have done something like the military with arms like those. But how did you get all the way from Nneoh to Shorekeep? And how did you meet Silverius? You two seemed rather close.” “…He tried to kill me. Twice.” “Before that!” Vik smiled and shook his head. “Right. I don’t know. I guess it was the Crystals bringing us all together. It’s kind of insane how they actually did bring us all together… when I think of it like that, I guess I believe some of the stuff Cidolas says about us being Chosen and all.” Vik narrowed his blue eyes. “At this point, I’ve seen too much not to believe it, honestly.” Karilyn nodded in thought. “Hey, so what about this third Hero? I’ve heard Vainia this, Vainia that, but never got the privilege of meeting her. Who is this girl?” “She’s something else, that’s for sure. I’m pretty sure I’m older than she is, but you wouldn’t believe it in person. Somehow she went from being a student at Zeta Academy to becoming queen of Shorica, and I couldn’t tell you how, even though I worked for her not too long ago. The Crystals did even that, I guess.” “You worked for her? Wow… What was that like?” “A lot of yelling and being told what to do. She’s just like any other boss in the military, but it’s worse, because she’s shorter than me.” Both travelers laughed, though Vik was being semi-serious. “She has a lot of pull, though, and a lot of people working for her. I don’t think we can save this world without her, frankly.” “You know, sometimes I really wonder if this business is really for me,” Karilyn confessed. “I started out on this because I wanted to help Silverius, but then Blondie told me about all the crazy Crystal business he’s involved in and how I was ‘destined’ to help out. I wanted to bail, but I didn’t really have a choice. But what use am I? I’m just a girl with a big sword that knows how to make drinks.” She bit her lip. “You’re more than that – you’re a part of the team now.” Vik smiled down at Karilyn. Reaching his arm behind her head, he rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. “You said it best, I think: we’re all in this together now.” Despite himself, Vik cringed. “Man, that sounds a lot less cheesy when you say it.” Karilyn smiled warmly and let her hand rest on Vik’s. “I got the point, Scarface. Thank you.” With a devious glint in her eye, she pushed off Vik’s hand and started walking ahead of him. “You really do need to work on your cool moments, though. They leave a lot to be desired. You’re not going to let Silverius beat you there, too, are you?” Vik sighed and bit his lip with a reluctant smile. “I was going to say you’re a lot more bearable as a travel partner than Cidolas, but now I’m not sure, if you’re going to be cutting me to the quick like that…” The redhead laughed, but stopped in her tracks as she bumped into Cidolas, who stood completely still at the top of a hill. She turned around in alarm and Vik stopped as well, reflexively lowering his body weight and summoning his Tyrant Eyes in defense. “The Rune Child’s forces,” Cidolas announced. “They loom, and quickly.” Yet when the forces of the Rune Child – of Vainia – were visible on the horizon, Vik’s beating heart started to calm. He had seen them first, followed quickly by Cidolas, thanks to his glowing Tyrant Eyes. “Hold on,” he said, lowering his hands and standing from the crouch he had been in behind a nearby boulder. “Cidolas, hold on. These aren’t enemies. I recognize that uniform.” The Eternal Corps was approaching. They came in a truck as gray as the snowy plains in the night. Vik stood on top of the boulder near him and waved his arms, hoping against hope that they would notice and recognize him, too. His hope worked in his favor. Six people in silver cloaks piled out of the old truck that stopped near the boulders Vik and his companions had set up an ambush at, five men and one woman. The only person with a fur-lined cloak was a short, blond man – definitely someone different from the older man Vik had seen in the same mantle months before, or so he imagined. He narrowed his eyes and tried to calm the odd feeling in his chest as he walked out to the group of soldiers. “Greetings,” he probed, unsure of how to approach the people in front of them. They looked completely demoralized and shell-shocked, and one of them even had a bloody uniform, as if he had taken a horrid wound. “You’re coming from Shorekeep, I see. I take it… the situation is not well.” “Who are you?” blurted out one of the Corps members, with dark hair pulled back into a bun. “Why did we stop for this man, Leader Posmos?” “This man is not an enemy,” the youth in the fur-lined cloak said, stepping in front of his group of comrades and handing his rifle to the man standing next to him. “This man is one of my closest friends.” Vik’s jaw dropped. “Moritaka?!” The blond gave a subtle smile, and Vik ran in for a hug. “You’re alive! And you actually joined Vainia’s army! Haha…! I… I can’t believe this! And this fur… You’re a leader?!” Moritaka smiled as subtly as the odd, almost expressionless boy could. “Indeed. I am the Leader of Queen Vainia’s Eternal Corps. We have just left the city of Shorekeep in failure.” Vik faltered. “You seem… awfully cheerful to have failed… What’s going on over there?” Yet before his friend could answer, Vik heard a throat being cleared behind him, and he turned back to see Karilyn Red standing with one hand on her hip and another on the hilt of her massive cannonblade. Cidolas was standing behind her, almost invisible in the shadow of the rocks. “Ah, excuse me… Moritaka, Corps, my name is Vik Hyusei. I served under Vainia as well, and I fought at Icarun. These are my friends: Karilyn Red and Cidolas Teftah. We are on your side. We’re going to Shorekeep now, to meet the Queen. We have much to share with her.” After an odd pause of hesitation, Moritaka waved his hand half-heartedly to his comrades in the same uniform as him. “We are what remains of the Eternal Corps. Dolfh Rveld, Allen Trius, Shinten Asuka, J. Horn, and Alma Venu. Unfortunately, Lady Vainia is not in Shorekeep any longer.” “What?” Karilyn stepped forward to Vik’s side, her surprise palpable. “What do you mean? Where is she, then?” “The Queen has marched eastward, on Castle Kornelia, along with the vast majority of her army. The rest of her forces, including the Eternal Corps, have been ordered to protect her throne in Shorekeep,” Moritaka said, his eyes unmoving and his voice its normal monotone. “…But that’s… That’s where Silverius was going…” Vik lowered his eyes and bit his lip in frustration. ‘Left behind, again…’ “You said you failed, Blondie… So… I take it Shorekeep is…” “Fallen, yes,” he replied. “There was a spy,” one of the Corps members said. He looked a few years younger than Vik, with unkempt brown hair and a high collar beneath his cloak. In his eye burned anger. “A whole group of spies. The Queen’s spies. They betrayed the Corps members we left in Shorekeep, and killed all the citizens taking refuge in the city while the Inusians attacked it. They had an army, and airships, too. The whole damn city, taken by the Inusians… Damn it. We failed. We failed!” “It wasn’t our fault,” one of the other Corps members added, letting a hand rest reasurringly on his angry comrade’s shoulder. “There was nothing we could do.” ‘Wait a minute,’ Vik thought, his mind suddenly tripped up over what Karilyn had said. ‘Blondie?’ He looked up to Moritaka, then behind himself, but caught Karilyn’s eyes before he could finish his double take. From the widening of her eyes and the opening of her mouth, it looked as if she came to the same conclusion. ‘No. I… I’ve always thought he was weird, but this…’ Vik and Karilyn looked to Moritaka’s face, and saw in it the same face that Cidolas Teftah had. The others heard it too. They gasped and the irritated chatter silenced in the clearing as Cidolas left the shadow and came between Vik and Karilyn Red. Both Cidolas and Moritaka stared at each other, and Moritaka visibly paled. “You are the one that failed,” Cidolas stated, his voice quieter and more controlled than Vik had ever heard. It was almost as if he was holding in rage. “In Shorekeep, originally. You are why the Heroes have been apart for so long.” Moritaka looked lost, and unusually shaken. It was the most emotion Vik had seen on his face before. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. I… Who are you?” “You know who we are. We are the guardians of the Crystals. You are just like us. You were.” Silence rang through the group. “Leader Posmos…?” First one Corps member asked their Leader for clarification, then another. Even Karilyn stepped forward and put a hand on Cidolas’ shoulder, but it went ignored. “You have been acting independently. You have even met the Child of Wind, and we knew nothing of it. This is completely unprecedented.” Cidolas continued, and Moritaka still said nothing, but he continued to pale. “You know we are correct. That is why you do not deny a thing. You have found your own sense of duty, and become a guardian in your own rights… but not for the right thing. Curious.” Cidolas visibly exhaled. “We are unsure of how to deal with you.” Vik could feel the mood changing within the Eternal Corps when they realized Cidolas was possibly threatening Moritaka. He took that as his opportunity to step forward and put his hands on the chests of both blonds, pushing them apart ever so slightly. “Alright, alright, relax, everyone, please. Listen. We’re all working together here. We’re allies now. And as we can see, things are only going from bad to worse. We can’t afford to bicker or attack each other. Alright, Cidolas?!” The blond guardian did not move from his gaze deep into Moritaka’s soul, but he answered Vik positively and even took a step backwards. “You are correct, child of wind. In order to succeed at the goals of the Crystals, there must be only alliances and the pooling of strength. Even a failure can be useful still.” “Yeah,” Karilyn added, nodding at Vik and taking his initiative. “I know we just met, but the more the merrier. If the enemies against us are as numerous as you guys say… We’ll need all the help we can get.” She smiled at him, her eyes stating that she appreciated the effort he was taking to keep the party together. For some reason, Vik felt heat rise in his cheeks, unlike any the Crystal had ever granted him in his body. “We? What do you mean? You’re working with us now? How can we trust you? What do you want with the Queen?” This from the wounded soldier with a pained feminine face and long, silky black hair. “Who is to say you won’t betray us, too?” “They won’t, Trius,” Moritaka finally said, his eyes low to the ground but his tone firm. “I trust them.” “And who’s to say we trust you?” The tallest Corps member and the only woman glanced at Moritaka with a frown and crossed arms. “You haven’t even been our Leader for a day yet. How do we know you have what it takes to make the right decisions?” “I trust him,” the wounded soldier said, his eyes defiant and strong. “I may not agree with him, but Leader Posmos saved my life back in that battle – and we all know Leader Rin trusted him the most. That’s good enough for me.” The other four members of the Corps nodded or agreed in turn, and the woman sighed, but said nothing in protest. “So,” Karilyn asked after an awkward moment of silence and hesitation, “Where do we go next?” “We haven’t seen any trace of Vainia,” Vik answered, “so she has to be far behind us, into Inusia already. Without an airship, we’ll never catch up to her in a reasonable time… And by the time we reach her, it might be too late.” He sighed, rubbing his temples, and glanced at one of the Corps soldiers. “How far is Shorekeep from here?” “Only a few hours ride in the truck. If we left now, we’d be there by morning.” “Why would we be going back to Shorekeep?” Karilyn asked. “If Vainia isn’t there, what’s the use? It’s swarming with Inusians. We’d be riding to our deaths.” “Not necessarily,” the woman Corps member stated. “There are ways into the castle without going through much of the city. Queen Vainia ordered many secret passages installed in the castle.” “We were retreating to regroup,” Moritaka stated. “Not to flee. The Corps were ordered to defend Shorekeep. That is what we will do.” “Nine of us, taking back an entire city?” Vik sighed. “That’s impossible.” “We need only seize the castle and man its defenses. Even with a handful of people, the ways into the castle are limited and easily protected,” the wounded soldier – Trius – added. “The airships,” the brown-haired boy stated. “What will we do about Inusia’s airships? They would destroy us as easily as they destroyed Leader Rin and the refugees.” Vik remembered the flames he had summoned in Inusia, and the havoc it had caused in a fortress of stone. If he was going to attack wood, and if he had a chance at a surprise attack… “I think I can do something about that.” “Then we return to Shorekeep and retake it,” Moritaka Posmos confirmed, the fur on his cloak hiding all of his neck and collarbone. He finally looked up from the earth again, and adjusted the oddly colored scarf atop his head. “Indeed. We have no other choice.” Cidolas spoke again for the first time in minutes as a light snow began to fall on the plains once again. “For there is a carrier of a Crystal headed to the city on the shores as well, and they must be stopped, or the world will rend apart.” ...End of Chapter Fifty-One. <- Previous Page | Main Page | Next Page->